ELKHART ― There’s no specific timetable for the opening of a massive Amazon warehouse that was built last year along the Indiana Toll Road.

But the company said the 800,000-square-foot building between County Road 17 and County Road 19 is still in its plans, despite rumors that the company could be walking away from the regional distribution hub.

Diversification: Elkhart County wins more than $200 million in new Amazon projects, could create 1,000 jobs

Those rumors have popped up because the warehouse was supposed to have started operations by now and the fact that the company has been canceling and closing distribution centers as part of the cost-cutting measures it implemented in 2022.

The company started cutting costs and trimming its future expectations as business slowed following the pandemic-induced boom in e-commerce.

By now, the company was expected to begin filling some of the expected 1,000 jobs needed at the multi-story warehouse along the Toll Road and a smaller facility that was set to open near the Elkhart Municipal Airport.

“While we don’t have a specific launch date to share right now, once we have a better sense of timing, we’ll work with the local community and employment organizations in the area to employ local residents at the site,” Amazon said via an emailed statement.

The company indicated it has no plans to walk away from the project.

Cost cutting: Amazon cutting expenses after pandemic-induced boom

Even since it was built, significant changes have been made inside the structure aimed at further boosting its efficiency once the company is ready to open the facility. Parking, lighting, landscaping and other components of the project already are completed.

A massive roundabout, which was built along County Road 17 north of the Toll Road gives trucks coming or leaving the site quick access to the Toll Road in either direction, but the project also opened up hundreds of additional acres nearby for future development.

Chris Stager, CEO of the Economic Development Corp. Of Elkhart County, has pointed out that having a bank of land that is shovel ready — with roadways and utilities — is critical to future development — whether it’s another distribution company or one of the county’s traditional RV and boat-building businesses.

When Amazon announced the project in 2021, some wondered whether the company would be able to fill the estimated 1,000 jobs at the distribution center and another smaller warehouse the company was planning near the Elkhart Municipal Airport.

Job squeeze: Elkhart County's job market is tight. Soon, Amazon will need another 1,000 workers here

At the time, the RV industry was still booming because of the pandemic and the county’s unemployment rate was among the lowest in the country at about 1%. With about 40,000 people traveling to Elkhart County each day for jobs, officials still believed the company would be able to fill its 1,000 positions, which would provide average starting wages of $18 an hour, as well as comprehensive benefits.

Since then, however, the RV industry has also slowed from its pandemic-induced surge, and the seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate stood at 3.7% in March, still just 0.2% higher than the statewide average.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Amazon's Elkhart warehouse is ready, but it's still unoccupied